A new report released by Neilson shows an average of 40% of mobile wallet holders in the US use their

A new report released by Neilson shows an average of 40% of mobile wallet holders in the US use their mobile payment solution as their primary source of payment.

Carrier restrictions and merchant support are what has stunted mobile payment growth in the US. Workarounds like beacon technology, QR readers, and Host Card Emulation have helped considerably with adoption.

What Neilson’s report shows as another contributor to adoption is reward plans.

“Consumers agreed (69%) that they would convert to mobile payment methods if merchants were to offer discounts specific to purchases made via mobile wallet. Also driving their decision would be if the reward programs that they are currently enrolled in would honor mobile transactions, and if rewards programs and mobile wallet could be integrated to redeem points immediately,” the report stated.

According to Neilson, both men and woman are equally likely to use their mobile devices as Ewallets and usage spans over all income levels. Both those who bring an annual $50,000 a year (32%) and $100,000 a year (29%) are most likely to use a mobile payment option. Demographics show the majority of users are aged 18-34 with a 55% share of usage with those aged 35-54 consisting of 35%.

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How items are paid for were also covered with 45% of mobile payments being placed with a QR scanned by the merchant. 37% of mobile shoppers use NFC based terminals to authorize the transaction.

The report also looked at P2P transfers, and found that 71% of those utilizing such services do so to relieve tension at splitting bills with friends. 73% stated their primary reason for using P2P transfers is convenience over scouting for ATMs. Almost half of them (49%) stated they use P2P while dining.